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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · net · rush · field · leaves · calf · ground · fall

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ground — a position
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — crushed
  19. field — for sport
  20. fall — the season
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. net — after costs
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com